If you have the gift to understand and see through, you may be better off with creating your own version of the art. You may very well start with imitating and copying, to become a good artisan, then, after having digested the essence of what has been created before, you may go further and extend to find out about your limits.

Yes, and that would point directing at shuhari. In the shu stage you're The Beatles playing cover songs in Hamburg. Ha, you're The Beatles composing and playing original material that's close to the cover songs they played in Hamburg - and even the members look similar. In the Ri stage, you're The Beatles at the stage began by recording Rubber Soul and then Sgt Peppers; and then subsequently moving into total mastery as individuals and a band with The White Album and Abbey Road.

All that occurred within about a 10-year period. And probably that magic mastery number of 10,000 hours of active duty figured in as well.

And it's interesting that all these British "Masters" - Clapton, Beatles, The Who, etc - all started out copying the sound and attitude of Black American musicians - Muddy Water, BB King, Freddy King, etc..

I think an interesting question is; does a given individual seek to merely be a copy, or to become a master.